Is this veneer? Can I fix/replace patches of it?

GCortezJuly 11, 2012

Hi All,

I'm a total newb at this DIY business - but I found this great table for free on craigslist (which is where the picture is from, I can also add some of the sanded leaf). The family that owned it had kids who sure loved on this table but I figured a paint job would cover it all up.

After sanding the leaf that came with it I realized that I would rather stain it instead of painting it. I noticed some chipping on the edges and figured wood filler would work. Before trying it out I came online to do some research and now I'm more confused than I was before!!

So here are my questions:

Is this veneer? I've sanded away the glossy-ness =o) but as I mentioned above there is also a thin sheet of wood(?) that is chipping.

Should I just chip it all off and hope the underneath looks good enough to stain?

Will I be able to fill it with some wood filler and then stain it? Will the wood filler take the stain? (My research leads me to believe that no, it wont).

Would I be able to fix the chips with veneer edging tape? This is where I'm really confused and why my online research led me here.

wood filler can work to fix chips, although you will have to color the wood filler with artist colors, and do a little faux finishing. You can fix the chips with veneer, you just need to find a match in grain and color.

Thanks for the advice! I'm posting pictures of a few of the chips - just to give you a better picture of what I'm dealing with. Also, you can see the wood finish under the gloss that I sanded off.
Just to clarify - I should stain the whole table first and then go back and fill in the chips. Or sand, fill in chips, then condition and stain?
Thanks!